The present invention relates to a compression bonding apparatus and a compression bonding method for compression bonding a component on a plate-shaped member, such as a liquid crystal panel.
A liquid crystal panel employed for a display apparatus displaying images includes a plurality of components, such as flexible substrates or integrated circuit (IC) chips, mounted thereon. The liquid crystal panel includes a circuit board with a circuit formed thereon and electrodes connected to the circuit and formed in a marginal region in the vicinity of at least one side of the circuit board. Each component is compression bonded on a corresponding electrode via an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). The process for mounting a component on the liquid crystal panel includes a preliminary compression bonding process for temporarily fixing the component on the electrode with an ACF sandwiched between the component and the electrode, and a main compression bonding process for firmly fixing the component on the circuit board. In the main compression bonding process, the component is compression bonded by applying higher pressure while heating at higher temperature than those in the preliminary compression bonding process. JP 5002619 B discloses a compression bonding apparatus in which a component to be compression bonded is fixed from above a liquid crystal panel placed horizontally.
When a large-sized display apparatus, such as 100-inch display apparatus, breaks down after delivery to customers, it is difficult to move the large display apparatus to a repair base and therefore repairing the display apparatus at each delivery destination is desirable. If a component is not properly mounted to the liquid crystal panel, for example, a component to be mounted disengages from the liquid crystal panel, the repair including compression bonding the component on the liquid crystal panel is required. However, since the conventional compression bonding apparatus is structured to hold the liquid crystal panel horizontally, a large area for the repair is required and securing an appropriate space for the repair at the delivery destination is difficult. In addition, in the conventional compression bonding apparatus, it is difficult to transfer the compression bonding apparatus to the delivery destination since the compression bonding apparatus is huge because of its necessary size for the liquid crystal panel to be placed horizontally. Accordingly, there is a problem that performing the repair including compression bonding a component on a liquid crystal panel at each delivery destination of a display apparatus is difficult.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a compression bonding apparatus and a compression bonding method capable of realizing downsizing as well as facilitating the repair including compression bonding of a component at each delivery destination of a product.